SCHWEITZER AUDITIONS AS HILLARY’S POPULIST CHALLENGER: Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is a harsh critic of Hillary Clinton. He has slammed her for her ties to Wall Street, her courting of corporate campaign cash and her vote for the Iraq war as senator. Such outspoken criticism of Mrs. Clinton is rare, and it’s inspiring some leaders in the party’s left wing—people who have become disillusioned with President Obama and are concerned about the prospect of an unchallenged Clinton candidacy in 2016.

Reuters

Mr. Schweitzer is a long shot for the Democratic presidential nomination, should he even try—he’s got little name recognition, little money and a big appetite for oil and gas exploration. But some Democrats say the former governor could still play an important role: a maverick who calls out Mrs. Clinton’s vulnerabilities and prods a more liberal champion into the race. Elizabeth Williamson reports.

WSJ STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISSOBAMA PUSHES FOR VA ACCOUNTABILITY:President Obama has accepted responsibility for any misconduct at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a move that raises the stakes for the White House as calls accelerate for new leadership at the agency. He also vowed to hold accountable anyone found to have been involved in misconduct—indicating that it was possible the VA secretary could ultimately be forced to leave. Carol E. Lee and Ben Kesling report.

MODERATION IS KEY FOR NUNN:Michelle Nunn may have handily won the Democratic nomination for a key Senate seat in Georgia, but she now faces the task of convincing voters that her bipartisan promises will be enough to overcome the GOP’s decade-long domination of the state. A win by Ms. Nunn this fall would offer a sign of at least a partial revival of the state’s Democratic Party, which has been in decline for years. Cameron McWhirter reports.

FED’S NEW VOICE TAKES SHAPE:The Federal Reserve’s board of governors is set to get a series of new voices over coming months, the most prominent of which is economist Stanley Fischer, whom the Senate confirmed Wednesday in a 68-27 vote. These new voices bring a shuffling of personality and perspective to the board just as the debate over when to start raising interest rates is beginning to heat up. Pedro Nicolaci da Costa reports. And Jon Hilsenrath reports on Fed officials’ debate over labor market slack.

JERRY SEIB: WHAT UKRAINE’S ELECTION MEANS FOR RUSSIA
Ukraine will hold elections on Sunday that will determine the course of the unstable nation. The election will immediately impact several relationships between groups inside the country, and the course of the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, if the Kremlin decides to respect its outcome. Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Seib explains.

HERE’S A LOOK AT THE DAY AHEAD
–JUDICIAL NOMINEE: The Senate is expected to hold a final vote on David Barron to be a judge on the Boston-based First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Barron has faced a tough Senate confirmation process because he helped write a Justice Department memo justifying the killing of a U.S. citizen by an armed drone. He squeaked by in an earlier 52-43 procedural vote but is expected to be confirmed.

–FUTURE OF THE GOP: Top Republican lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, will gather with conservative policy thinkers at the American Enterprise Institute in the morning to discuss ways the GOP can craft new government policies that appeal to the middle class.

The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos notes an irony in the U.S.-Chinese relationship in the wake of the American decision to charge five members of the Chinese military with cyberattacks against American firms: “At the very moment when the U.S. and Chinese governments are moving in a direction of greater conflict, the slow, steady accretion of foreign pop culture on the Chinese Web has given people on both sides of the Pacific more in common than ever before.”

India’s new leader, Narendra Modi, will have a hard time moving India’s fractured legislative system despite his strong electoral victory this month, Ian Bremmer writes for Reuters, but still expect him to have a big impact by taking executive actions, using India’s state-level governments to effect change and expanding India’s international role.

In the WSJ Think Tank, Rhodes Cook says that contrary to expectations of a season of unrest, the primary election season is instead unfolding as a “business as usual” one, in which incumbents cruise to victories and challengers fall by the wayside.

TWEET OF THE DAY@VP: ”The stronger you are, the more independent you, the more capable you are, the better off we all are.” -VP in Romania

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About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.